J.Crew Men's Fall 2011: Masculine, But Also Sophisticated

Taking in Frank Muytjens’s fall 2011 collection for J.Crew, I came across an old friend, a fashion designer. She asked me what I thought and my answer went like this: “I like it. I mean, it’s smart…and boring, but it’s J.Crew, so it should be boring.” Her response was much more thoughtful, and more telling. She reminded me that Middle America and your average guy need some help dressing, and J. Crew is providing them the right kind of help. And she’s right.
To this end, Muytjens has focused on separates in a workwear-dominated collection inspired by the Lewis Hine photographs of the Empire State Building’s construction. “Fabrics out of context,” the designer noted, “Chino, with a bit of denim,” he added, pointing to a handsome blue trouser that effectively blended the two textures.

Taking in Frank Muytjens’s fall 2011 collection for J.Crew, I came across an old friend, a fashion designer. She asked me what I thought and my answer went like this: “I like it. I mean, it’s smart…and boring, but it’s J.Crew, so it should be boring.” Her response was much more thoughtful, and more telling. She reminded me that Middle America and your average guy need some help dressing, and J. Crew is providing them the right kind of help. And she’s right.

To this end, Muytjens has focused on separates in a workwear-dominated collection inspired by the Lewis Hine photographs of the Empire State Building’s construction. “Fabrics out of context,” the designer noted, “Chino, with a bit of denim,” he added, pointing to a handsome blue trouser that effectively blended the two textures.

This is a collection that begs you to mix and match. It's a little of this, a little of that, some wide-leg chinos, in case you are fat. That’s right: wide-leg. While the apparel is “predominantly still skinny,” says Muytjens, “I think it's nice to include a wider chino at the same time." I won’t wear it (I cannot remember the last time I wore a chino), but I’m on board. As I was with the wider leg jeans sported by another model—the first piece that caught my eye.

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Compared to last fall, this is a thicker, looser, more layered collection. I noted a Navajo influenced pattern that made a Christmas sweater significantly less meh. Brown, thick wale cords were rolled up high, unveiling sock-less ankles in normative oxford lace ups. In terms of palette, navies were dominant. The standout among these was a flannel shirts, with two breast pockets, detailed by white buttons.

It’s these thoughtful little details that underlined the “smart” in this collection, as opposed to the “boring.” Referring to a topcoat, on top of the jean/chinos, Muytjens summed up the success of his endeavor: “It’s hefty and masculine, but also sophisticated. You’re not going to be seen from ten blocks away.”

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A game some of my fashion friends and I like to play is "What Happened to American Apparel?"
That symbol of the aughts' stock is currently trading at just over one dollar, one fifteenth of its 2007 high. And there are a number of reasons why: poor management, spotty trend spotting, over-expansion, lack of investor confidence. Another reason is J. Crew.
American Apparel presented a unique challenge to the market, and while Gap kept making the same old crap and used the same old advertising, J.Crew took a different route and went up-market. It started looking for a more sophisticated customer, constructing tailored, comfortable menswear that didn’t look or feel like each item was just one of hundreds of thousands that had come off the line.

When I was a youngster, I attended a religious institution where the uniform required a burgundy blazer. Most of my peers and their parents scoffed at the color choice, but I always thought it was kind of chic. Tommy Hilfiger recalled my younger days with a preppy A/W 2011 collection that started with a burgundy overcoat, and brought the color back again and again, in his blocked sweaters, scarves, trousers and jackets.
Hilfiger, with some help from Simon Spurr, evoked “both boarding schools and Brooklyn clubs” with “a foundation for separates,” a movement away from his base for one of America’s kings of the suit. But the mix of prep and indie has been accomplished with great intelligence, as the moleskin blazers and Pendleton striped shirting mixed effortlessly with slim cargo and jersey knit track pants. The whole package was tied together with a focus on outerwear: motorcycle jackets, overcoats (with toggles), bonded macs and heavy bombers dominated. I would have been sent straight to detention if I’d showed up to class in one of his blazer-and-sweatpant combos, even a blazer at natty as these ones, but I like the concept.

PARIS--Bigness isn’t a word I use all that often, but it’s one of the overarching themes for Fall 2011: exploding shearling, walls of fur, linings upon linings, cable knits on sweaters like ropes on freighters. Korean designer Juun.J has embraced this facet of the season with gusto, adding multiple jackets to a single look, letting their sleeves hang on to other sleeves. But giving in to "more" with a certain eloquence.
The effect could be hexapodol, but the insectile looks carried way more weight than any bug. This was a fascinating collection, and made me wonder why Junn.J doesn’t have more pickup in the US. There was fantastic tension in every look; the shearling interior and mohair exterior in one of his coat looked like they were attacking each other, straining for possession on the wearer’s body. Same with the leather motorcycle jacket, lined with yet more shearling. And again with a down jacket encased in synthetic, but balanced out with wool.
There were also some individual pieces that I can’t get out of my head: the first pinstripe jumpsuit I’ve ever seen, an oxford shirt with cashmere sleeves, and a science fiction-y grew wool sweater boasting the aforementioned extra pounds of wool.
All in all, big props.

I don’t envy Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, the designers of Rag and Bone. What do you do when heritage, your thing, is the trend of the moment? And then isn’t. Last season, their approach was to out-heritage everyone, with masses of chambray and denim, in what felt like the closeted football player on Glee constantly targeting the gay kids for abuse, aka, the lady protesting a little too much. Their solution for next fall is to go British. “English gamekeepers, stalking in Scotland and the Duke of Windsor. Exemplary demonstration of how to dress like an Englishman” read their press materials.